Tower of Unity

The tower of the unit is a 30 meter high observation tower. It is located on the 503 m high Heldrastein at Schnellmannshausen, a district of Treffurt in Wartburg district of Thuringia, close to the border with Hesse.

The tower of the unit has an unusual history and is of unusual design, because it is a converted radar tower. He is, though actually detached, additionally secured by guy ropes. The tower was erected in 1962 as an open guyed steel lattice tower with a radar installation on top. The territory of the hero catch one at the time was because it was in the inner-German border area, not accessible to the public.

In 1989, when the border was open, the desire to build on the Heldrastein again an observation tower, after it had been there until 1952, where a lookout tower in stone construction, the Carl -Alexander- tower, was built. Finally, 1996 saw the approval for the conversion of the radar tower into a lookout tower. As part of this restructuring, which cost 205,000 DM, the radome was separated on top of the tower and the open paneled steel construction with wood. In addition, the tower staircase with 166 steps and an octagonal shelter at the base of the tower received.